


When You Assume

by Uglysweater



Category: Raven Cycle
Genre: M/M, brief arguments, continued pasta saga, missunderstanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-26
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-23 11:16:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4874641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uglysweater/pseuds/Uglysweater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ronan tossed the pasta maker in the trunk of the BMW, where it lands with a 'thunk' and a groan from his suspension. "Fuck you" he told the pasta maker as he slamed the door. His mood has only soured since the awkward run in with Adam and everyone at Nino's. He felt like he could vomit or never look any of his friends in the eye again; maybe both. </p><p>Following the events of Something To Consider. So uh, read that first I guess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You Assume

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eatmyposey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eatmyposey/gifts).



Ronan Lynch woke up on Saturday morning. Which is odd for a multitude of reasons. Ronan's sleep schedule was just so that Ronan usually rode his insomnia straight through the night and on to the next morning, no waking up necessary. That or, if he does end up sleeping at all, he slept well past noon. 

The second odd part of waking up on Saturday morning was that he wakes up in the small apartment at the top of St. Agnes. That, in of itself isn't entirely out of the ordinary but when the more specific location of Ronan's wakefulness is taken into account things get really interesting. 

Ronan Lynch has woken up on Saturday morning in Adam Parrish's bed. 

Fucking wild. 

He's alone now, Adam gone to work already, but he wasn't worried about it. Adam woke him up before he left to let Ronan know he was headed out and to stay as long as he wanted. And to, you know, kiss him on the mouth to say goodbye. Fucking wild. 

He allowed himself a moment to stretch on the bed, letting his legs flop off the end. It was hot in the little one room apartment. And without Adam there it wasn't really worth suffering. He could have dicked around in the apartment for a bit longer, maybe waiting for Adam to finish work in a few hours, but he's not sure if Adam would want him to. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, Ronan grabbed his pants. He searched around for his shirt, but can't find it. He contemplated snagging one of Adam's but it's not like Adam can afford having less possessions so he leaves without one. 

When he returned back to Monmouth Gansey was sitting in the middle of the floor. A huge, dusty, falling apart at the spine, book was laying in his lap. He didnt bat an eye at Ronan coming back from a drive at 9:30am on a Saturday without a shirt. Gansey probably would have found it worrying a few months ago, but things were different now. 

Ronan threw on something clean, or at least not overtly dirty, and joins him in the living room. Ronan wasn't going to tell Gansey. He wanted to. He wanted to get 'Adam Parrish let me touch his butthole a little while we made out' tattooed on his forehead. But he planned to do neither of those things until he's clarified that it's okay with Adam. 

They didn't talk about what happened when they woke up this morning. Adam didn't give any indication of wanting things last night to continue past last night other than the small sleepy kiss goodbye before he left for work. And Ronan definitely didn't know how public Adam wanted all of this. He wasn't about to fucking out Adam. 

So as much as he wanted to rip the door off the hinges and tell Gansey that he feels worthwhile in a way he hasn't felt since Gansey told him there was a room at Monmouth waiting for him months and months ago. 

Ronan plopped down on the floor across from Gansey with a box of cereal. The cereal itself was a bit stale but the milk in the fridge is definitely bad so he would have to eat it dry of he's going to eat it at all. Glancing up from the book Gansey said, "Hey man, what's up."

Ronan responded by crunching loudly in his direction. Then he flicked square of Captain Crunch at Noah, standing in his bedroom doorway. It hit him square in the chest with a, "hey!" of protest. 

Noah slid through and sits on the floor between them. The three roommates sitting on the grimy wood floor while the couch is four feet away. Ronan grinned. 

"So," Noah said, "Early day today? Or did you just not come home?"

Ronan tossed another chunk of cereal at him. Noah scrunched his face up and this time the cereal flew right through him. Once the cereal hits the floor Noah opens his eyes and smiled, looking delighted. Ronan flipped him off, but Noah just looks more pleased. 

Gansey’s phone rang from where it's resting on the floor by his knee. He grabbed it quickly and flips it screen down before Ronan could see the number on the screen. Gansey let it buzz on the floor twice more before taking it again and answering. 

He swipped the phone, greeted the caller and headed into the bathroom. Ronan and Noah shared a look as Gansey shut the door. Ronan tried to muster up enough bitterness and jealousy to be mad that Gansey leaves the room to talk to Sargent on the phone, but he can’t. Ronan got it. It was like one of those optical illusions that you stare at until everything else gets blurry. It was like Ronan waiting months to tell his friends that Chainsaw came from his dreams. It was like not wanting to talk about him and Adam until brings it up. It was not wanting to question reality in case reality says, ‘oh right, our mistake. Thanks for calling it to our attention we’ll fix this right away.’

So Ronan resigned to continue to let this go on, unquestioned and unacknowledged. 

Gansey poked his head out of the door, “Jane says you need to come pick up your pasta machine before she sells it at the yard sale. Wait? Is that a Euphemism? Hello? Oh.”

Gansey pocketed his phone and rejoins them, “Seriously? Is pasta maker a thing? Like a thing people say? What does it mean? Use it in a sentence.”

“Well it's this crazy contraption that if you put pasta dough on one end it shits out noodles on the other side.” Ronan said. Noah laughed so hard the lightbulb above them bursts. 

“So like a real pasta maker?”

“Yes a real pasta maker, Gansey.”

“Why do you have a pasta maker? Why is it at Blue’s house?” Gansey only ever said Sargent's first name when he was nervous. 

Just because he was okay with Gansey keeping secrets doesn't mean Ronan wasn't going to mess with him a little. Ronan winked at his best friend, "Don't worry about it, Dick. Just super secret knitting club stuff." 

"That's definitely a euphemism." Noah added "I've used it before." 

"Noah's used it before." Ronan agreed. 

Gansey rolled his eyes at them and slumps back to the floor. "Anyway," he said, reaching for the 42 pound book again, "I've been reading up on Gwenllian and well frankly there isn't much here independent of what I've already read about Glendower but look at this passage here. It's from a scroll they found in a cave in Wales." 

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated Gansey pointing out lines in various books. Ronan loved when Gansey gets lost like this. Totally immersed in what's in front of him. It happened a lot when he first joined Gansey in his search. They hadn't realized how many trails would be dead ends in the early days. Everything was new and full of possibility. It's similar now, after months and months of a drought, things started popping up again. Since last mark everything's seems to be moving faster, headed towards something. Although, unlike the earlier days, everything how has this tangible realness, a real forest that can manipulate reality, a real woman awake for thousands of years in a cave, a realness that adds just a little bit of terror to the hunt. Ronan had this nagging feeling like they were on a deadline. 

The hours passed hunched over books until Gansey glanced at his watch again. 

"I told Adam we'd meet him at Nino's,"He said, "it's closer to him than here. I just wanted to go over some stuff with us all together. Jane said she could be there. Do you two want to come?" 

Ronan's stomach flipped a little at the thought of seeing Adam now. After a few hours have passed maybe regret has settled in. Maybe Adam won't even look at him. Then it hits him. 

"Wait. He's at work." Ronan startled. 

"No?" Gansey looked at his phone, "Today is Saturday, right? He told me he wasn't scheduled today."

Ronan shrugged casually. But worry buried its way into his chest. He was glad in this moment for keeping his hair short, or else he'd be pulling it out. 

"Yeah sure, we'll go." Said Noah. 

 

\------------------------------------------------

Adam was sitting at a booth by the front window alone when Gansey swerved into to parking lot. Adam glanced up at the sound of the Pig's engine. The pig's windows were dark and a little dirty so Ronan wasn't sure if he was looking at him or not. He pulled himself out of the car. Through the window he saw Noah pop into the seat across from Adam. 

"He's getting better at the ghost thing." Gansey commented as he locked the doors. 

Gansey arrived at the booth a hair before Ronan did. Ronan saw him begin to lean towards the spot next to Noah, leaving Ronan to sit next to Adam. Ronan darted in quickly and slid in next to Noah instead. The other three boys looked bewildered for a moment, but Ronan carefully avoided any attempt to catch his eye as he picks up a menu. 

"Why are you looking at a menu?" Blue said, joining them, "You get the same pie every time you're here." She squeezed in next to Gansey, "And for that matter, I hate meeting here when I'm not working. It always smells like too sweet tomato sauce and I worry I'll never smell anything else again. God, what if I smell like over sweet tomato sauce? I'll never know if I don't. It's the only thing I'll ever smell again." 

"I like the way you smell, Blue." Noah told her. She grinned at him. 

"What do you guys even eat when you're not here? Do you eat anything besides pizza and gelato?" 

"Harsh words coming from someone who considers fruit on the bottom yogurt a meal." Ronan snapped. 

"Well apparently," Gansey cut in, "Ronan has been over at Jane's house making extravagant Italian dinners in secret." 

Adam choked on his coke as Blue rolled her eyes, "Yeah, weird." 

Noah jumped, "ouch! Hey did one of you kick me? What the heck!" 

Adam choked again and Gansey turned to him, "You alright, Adam? Don't die we need you."

Ronan should leave before things get worse. He kind of wants to leave. Adam was clearly uncomfortable. Gansey's still weird about him being at Blue's. Noah just got kicked in his ghostly shins. Ronan was ruining lives after he promised himself he was going to stop actively doing that to anyone that wasn't Declan. 

He moved to stand, hesitated half out of the booth remembering Gansey drove them. Fuck it, Ronan can walk home. 

"Wait, are you leaving?" Adam asked. Ronan can't tell if he sounds nervous or relieved. Whatever, Ronan wasn't going to base the rest of his night based on the tone of Adam Parrish's voice. Unless Adam directly asked him to stay. Who was he kidding, if it even a little sounded like Adam might not want Ronan to leave he'd sit his ass back down. But he didn't so Ronan leaves. 

"Pick up your pasta engine!" Blue shouted at his retreating back. 

\-------------------------------------------------

300 Fox Way was out of the way from Nino's to Monmouth so Ronan did not walk to the psychics' house. No, he walked back to Monmouth to pick the BMW then he drove to the psychics' house. 

Calla opened the door. Of course Calla opened the door. "What the hell do you want?" 

Ronan grinned toothily in a way he hoped looks more like a snarl, something to express how little he wanted to be here. Some expression to show how he didnt actually want anything because he was better than that. Calla matched the expression back in a way that felt more like the snarl he was going for. 

The stand off at the door continued until Maura Sargent swung past and pulls him inside. Ronan was offered home brewed tea several times as he packed up the heavy pasta maker, but he declined. He tried to say as few words to Blue's mother as he possibly can, nodding or shaking his head rather than verbally answer her questions about how Friday went. The psychics didn't bother him as much as they did a few months ago, but he still found them nosy as hell. He didnt like the idea of Maura Sargent having something embarrassing on him. 

 

Ronan tossed the pasta maker in the trunk of the BMW, where it lands with a _thunk_ and a groan from his suspension. "Fuck you" he told the pasta maker as he slamed the door. His mood has only soured since the awkward run in with Adam and everyone at Nino's. He felt like he could vomit or never look any of his friends in the eye again; maybe both. 

He drove back to Monmouth. On the way he passed Blue on her bike, heading home. He honked his horn, hoping to surprise her, but she didn't even flinch. She just waved at him with a smile. 

Ronan knew that if he just passed Blue on the street that it probably means the rest of his friends are done pizza and back at Monmouth. He was relieved, however, to see only the Camaro parked in front of the warehouse. He shut off the BMW and slid out the door. 

There was a bit of a struggle at the trunk trying to pick up the cumbersome pasta maker while not squishing any of his fingers, all the while keeping the trunk door from falling on his head. 

"Hey Ronan, could you-" Came a voice from right behind him. Ronan, startled, twisted around. The pasta maker slipped from his grasp and lands on his toes. 

"Fucking Christ, Dick get a bell." He grumbles. When Ronan looked up Adam was standing next to Gansey and Noah. He straightened quickly, trying not to grimace at the pain in his left foot. "What are you doing here?" 

Adam rolled his eyes at him and a sick acidic burn blooms in Ronan's chest. If Adam had really hated what happened last night he could at least try to avoid Ronan better. 

"Is that the pasta thing?" Gansey asked, pointing at the offending lump of metal fused to Ronan's foot. Ronan glared at him. 

"Um," Gansey started again, "Adam needs a ride home. Could you give him a lift?" 

Adam began fidgeting with the bottom seam of his shirt, looking nervous, and Ronan can't stop staring. 

"Does it look like Parrish wants to be in an enclosed space with me, Gansey." He growled out. 

"Okay look I don't know what happened today with the two-" Gansey began before Adam interrupts him, voice explosive, "Oh Fuck you, man. I'm not the one who keeps sprinting in the opposite direction." 

Ronan took a step back, bumping into his car, "What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Literally an hour ago in Nino's you asshole." Noah was cringing behind him as Adam continues, "I have never seen anybody run that fast from pizza before so it must have been someone at the table." 

Ronan opened his mouth to explain that it wasn't Adam he was trying to get away from, it was the extremely uncomfortable situation he caused for himself, but Adam cut him off, "And speaking of running what the hell happened this morning? You were gone when I got back! Left in such a rush you couldn't even get your fucking shirt?"

"Oh you want to talk about leaving?" Ronan was shouting now. "How about you leaving your own apartment this morning because you didn't have the balls to kick me out on your own. Going to work. Okay. I don't deserve a lot but I at least deserve to know when I'm about to do a walk of shame!" 

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't have work today." 

"Yeah, you fucking think? I found out from Gansey that you didn't have work today. Then what other reason could you have for doing dine and dash in your own fucking apartment?" His skin was burning. 

"I went to get fucking breakfast from downstairs for us, asshole!" Adam shouted. 

"Why the hell do you have a pasta maker!?" Gansey shouted. Everything stilled. Ronan turned to Gansey, who had Noah's hand covering his mouth. Gansey slowly lifted his own hand and removed Noah's. "Sorry," he said, "But It's going to haunt me. Why is there a pasta maker in the driveway?" 

Adam sighed and hung his head. Ronan lugged the pasta maker in question up off of his toe and threw it back in his car.

"I made Adam dinner last night." He said. "And then I fucked up." 

He heard Adam choke off a quiet laugh. 

"Oh." Gansey nodded silently for a moment. The head bobbing slowed, then stilled. Then, "Okay. This is good. Okay I'll uh. We're gonna go upstairs. Right. Noah? Right? Upstairs. Cool, okay. Good luck. Is that the proper and appropriate thing to say here? Good luck?Okay." 

"We're gonna go upstairs now before he pulls a muscle." Noah, gracefully, interrupted. He tugged on Gansey's sleave until they were up and out of site. 

Once alone Ronan turned back to Adam. Adam was looking at him. Ronan felt something in his chest grip and hold on tight. Suddenly he felt very stupid. Like this whole situation is so inane. Adam was standing over there, too far away, just looking at him. And Ronan feels so small. 

"Hey." Adam said. The silence breaks and a cool rush of relief passes over Ronan. He's so relieved he could rush the space between them and hug Adam. He might do it anyway. 

"Hey," said Ronan in return. Adam stowed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and strode over. "I fucked that up," He told Adam, feeling angrily sheepish again.

Adam kicked a cloud of dust up and over Ronan's shoes, "So I guess nobody was lyin' when they said communication is important." 

"Yeah." Ronan's fingers itched to reach out and touch, but he wasn't sure if he was forgiven yet. Ronan wasn't even sure he really apologized. He wasn't sure he could. He just shrugged again. 

Adam dropped his gaze to the ground. With his hands still in his pockets he began to sway his shoulders. Just a little. Like he was swaying in the night breeze. Or rather, the subtle shift side to side was creating the breeze. Adam Parrish gave the impression he could cause anything to happen. 

Maybe something could happen now, if he wanted it. 

"So," Ronan started off slowly, "You doing anything tonight?" 

Adam glances back up to him again, one eyebrow raised. Ronan took it as a sign to continue. "Just asking cuz I heard you're not working tonight."

Adam rolled his eyes. Ronan felt the moment slipping away from him. He blurted, "You look nice." 

The boy across from him quickly winced and looked at him with a grimace. It was a very dumb thing to say, Ronan realized. "What the hell are you doing?" Adam asked. 

"I have no idea," Ronan answered honestly, "I've felt like nothing but a total ass since this morning. I feel like an ass whenever I'm near you." 

"Well, cum paria feceritis positionibus." Adam mumbled, pulling a bark of a laugh out of Ronan. Adam's face softened, "You feel like an ass everytime we're together?" Ronan shrugged. "Maybe you should acting like ass then." 

"Fucking genius, Parrish." He took a step closer, but Adam didn't move away. He felt too big for his body. He felt to small for the situation. He felt too much and he greedily wanted to reach out and touch to feel more.Instead he left his hands hanging by his side. "I didn't feel like such an ass when we were making out last night." 

"Oh." Adam flushed red across his cheeks. That was, Ronan realized, also an incredibly stupid thing to say. And then Adam said, "Me neither." 

Adam stepped toward him once more, closing the distance. "So," he said softly, and brought one hand to brush the edge of Ronan's ear. Ronan felt a buzz run down the back of neck, all the way down to low in his stomach. Adam's hand slid down his neck. He gripped Ronan's shoulder, anchoring him. Then he leaned in and pressed his mouth against Ronan's. A simmering heat joined the low buzz in his stomach. Ronan finally gave into the urge to touch Adam, resting his hands at the other boy's lower back. The fumbling frantic kissing last night was incredible but this kiss was another beast entirely. This kiss was giving. This kiss was a gift. This kiss was- 

Adam let out a soft sigh and opened his mouth. Nothing else mattered. 

Suddenly the gravel in front of Monmouth was flooded with light. Adam stepped back, not far, still close enough that their arms brushed when Ronan brought his hand up to block out the light as he squinted up towards the building. Illuminated from the window stood two figures

"What the hell?" Ronan shouted. 

Gansey's voice shouted back from the light, "It was dark, I didn't want you to hurt yourselves." 

Out of the corner of his eye Ronan say Adam hang his head. Up in the window Noah said something that Ronan couldn't quite pick up. Then Gansey gasped, "Oh goodness, no I'm not some sort of voyeur!" 

The window upstairs screeched shut and something brushed against Ronan's hand and he looked down. Adam slid his palm into his and intertwined their fingers together. "Wanna head up there. Put him out of his misery?" 

"Eh, in a minute." Ronan said and leaned in to give back.

**Author's Note:**

> this is because I love chris and its her birthday today but after I posted Something To Consider I joked to her that I had a deleted scene where Gansey was flabbergasted by Ronan having a pasta machine and then I felt bad because I did not actually have a deleted scene. So. Here


End file.
